Arkham Horror: The Card Game – The Eternal Slumber: Scenario Pack
Arkham Horror: The Card Game – The Eternal Slumber: Scenario Pack Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Modes
Guardians of the Abyss consists of two separate scenarios: The Eternal Slumber and The Night's Usurper. These scenarios can be played in one of two ways: as standalone scenarios, or as side-stories inserted into any campaign.
Standalone Mode
When played as a standalone scenario, follow the steps for Standalone Mode on page 19 of the Rules Reference. This booklet is the campaign guide for both The Eternal Slumber and The Night's Usurper. Refer to the section below for additional setup instructions.
When played as standalone scenarios, The Eternal Slumber and The Night's Usurper have only two difficulty modes. Construct the chaos bag with the following tokens:
- Standard: +1, +1, 0, 0, –1, –1, –1, –2, –2, –3, –3, –4, –6, and eight symbol tokens (three skull tokens, a cultist token, a tablet token, an Elder Thing token, one further symbol token, and an Elder Sign token).
- Hard: +1, 0, 0, –1, –1, –1, –2, –2, –2, –3, –3, –4, –4, –5, –7, and eight symbol tokens (same symbol set as Standard).
Transcriber note: the symbol tokens are printed as icons on page 2 of the source booklet and are not all reproducible as text. The "one further symbol token" is the icon whose glyph could not be identified from the text layer; check it against page 2 of the source PDF.
Side-story (Campaign Mode)
A side-story is a scenario that may be played between any two scenarios of an Arkham Horror: The Card Game campaign. Playing a side-story costs each investigator in the campaign a certain amount of experience. Weaknesses, trauma, experience, and rewards granted by playing a side-story stay with the investigators for the remainder of the campaign. Each side-story may only be played once per campaign.
When either of these two scenarios are played as a side-story during a campaign, play them as if you are setting up the next scenario in the campaign, with the same chaos bag, weaknesses, trauma, and story assets previously earned.
The Night's Usurper can be played as a side-story without playing The Eternal Slumber, but once The Night's Usurper is played during a campaign, The Eternal Slumber cannot be played afterwards.
Playing The Eternal Slumber side-story costs each investigator 2 experience.
Playing The Night's Usurper side-story costs each investigator 2 experience.
Encounter Sets
This expansion has six encounter sets. The Eternal Slumber and Abyssal Tribute encounter sets are only used when playing The Eternal Slumber. The Night's Usurper and Abyssal Gifts encounter sets are only used when playing The Night's Usurper. Finally, the Sands of Egypt and Brotherhood of the Beast encounter sets are used in both scenarios. Make sure you are playing with the correct encounter sets!
- Abyssal Gifts (icon)
- Abyssal Tribute (icon)
- Brotherhood of the Beast (icon)
- Sands of Egypt (icon)
- The Eternal Slumber (icon)
- The Night's Usurper (icon)
Setup
- Gather the following encounter sets: The Eternal Slumber, Sands of Egypt, Brotherhood of the Beast, and Abyssal Tribute. These sets are indicated by the following icons, respectively: The Eternal Slumber icon, Sands of Egypt icon, Brotherhood of the Beast icon, Abyssal Tribute icon.
- Put the following locations into play: Streets of Cairo, Outskirts of Cairo, Temple Courtyard, Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Cairo Bazaar, and Expedition Camp. Each investigator begins play in the Streets of Cairo.
- Set the following cards aside, out of play: Neith, John & Jessie Burke, Ancient Ankh, both copies of Abyssal Revenant, and each of the 7 single-sided locations (Nile River, Sands of Dashur, Dunes of the Sahara, Untouched Vault, Faceless Sphinx, Desert Oasis, and Sandswept Ruins).
- Find the 6 double-sided Brotherhood enemies (Professor Nathaniel Taylor, Dr. Layla El Masri, Dr. Wentworth Moore, Nadia Nimr, Farid, and Nassor). These enemies have story cards on their reverse sides (see "Story Cards" on page 6). For the best experience, do not look at the story cards on their reverse sides. Shuffle these 6 enemies together and place them beneath the scenario reference card.
- For each investigator in the game, place 1 resource token on the scenario reference card, under "Strength of the Abyss." For the remainder of this scenario, resources on the scenario reference card represent the current strength of the abyss (see "Strength of the Abyss" on page 6).
- Shuffle the remainder of the encounter cards to form the encounter deck.
Suggested Location Placement
Source layout (page 12): Temple Courtyard is placed on its own in the top row. Cairo Bazaar, Streets of Cairo, Outskirts of Cairo, and Expedition Camp form the middle row, in that order from left to right. Museum of Egyptian Antiquities is placed in the bottom row, centred below them.
Location cards (printed rules text on each card)
- Temple Courtyard: Cairo. Silvery rays of light gently bathe the courtyard in a soft glow. Despite the urgency of your task, you feel at peace here. You vow to return if you're still awake when this is all over.
- Cairo Bazaar: Cairo. The busy streets of the bazaar are packed with peddlers hawking their wares and raucous throng of patrons. Navigating your way through the crowd is difficult enough—finding your mark will be even more troublesome.
- Streets of Cairo: Cairo. It is an unusually dry month in Cairo. The narrow, winding streets of the city are baked by the hot, unrelenting sun. Pedestrians travel from shadow to shadow to keep out of the sunlight…Or are they avoiding you?
- Outskirts of Cairo: Cairo. As the hot sun sets over Cairo, the sky is bathed in beautiful rays of orange and red. It is a magnificent prelude to the horrors to come.
- Expedition Camp: Expedition. Cairo. Desert. Just outside of the city, the greatest archaeological minds of the age are gathered together with the funding, resources, and knowledge to discover all of the secrets ancient Egypt has to hide. Perhaps their expedition will reveal the truths you are searching for.
- Museum of Egyptian Antiquities: Cairo. This new museum—built in Tahrir Square after the Nile flooded the previous building—houses the world's largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities, including papyrus, coins, statues, tablets, coffins, and even mummies.
DO NOT READ until the end of the scenario.
If no resolution was reached (each investigator resigned or was defeated): The city of Cairo sleeps and will never wake. In the west, the Brotherhood rejoices, for their prophecy is about to be fulfilled. And deep in the land of dreams, their Chosen grips his weapon for the first time.
- Each investigator earns experience equal to the Victory X value of each card in the victory display.
- In your Campaign Log, record dreamers in the abyss (X). X is the strength of the abyss when the scenario ended.
- In your Campaign Log, record Brotherhood Agents Who Escaped: and list the names of each unique Cultist enemy that was in play or beneath the scenario reference card when the game ended.
- In your Campaign Log, record that the Brotherhood's schemes continue unabated.
Resolution 1
Jessie Burke cries with joy as her husband opens his eyes for the first time in weeks. "J… Jessie?" John trembles as he tries and fails to stand. His wife places a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "I thought you would never wake," she admits, wiping tears from her eyes. "If it weren't for our friends here, you'd still be under." John turns to you, his expression dire. "Then you're the only ones who can stop what is coming," he says cryptically. "In my dreams, I saw him. The one they called Xzharah." He swallows hard. "And he is like nothing we've ever seen before."
- In your Campaign Log, record that the curse of slumber was lifted. Cross off all "(card name) was taken by the abyss" notes in your Campaign Log.
- Any one investigator may choose to add John & Jessie Burke to his or her deck. This card does not count toward that investigator's deck size.
- Each investigator earns experience equal to the Victory X value of each card in the victory display.
- In your Campaign Log, record dreamers in the abyss (X). X is the strength of the abyss when the scenario ended.
- In your Campaign Log, record Brotherhood Agents Who Escaped: and list the names of each unique Cultist enemy that was in play or beneath the scenario reference card when the game ended.
Resolution 2
Neith rises to her feet. Most of her power has been drained, but the strength of several dreamers still sustains her. "They have planned for centuries. Their day of reckoning is coming. Nothing can stop that. Not I. Certainly not you." You notice she speaks as if she were a third party, and you press further. "Do you think I had a choice?" She scoffs. "None can withstand Xzharah. You will see. He will bend your will just as he did mine." Her shadow grows and warps, misshapen. "It is the Abyss he wants. If you wish to stop him, head west. Xzharah awaits beyond the Gate." Neith's shadow consumes her body whole, and she vanishes from sight. Only her amulet remains.
- In your Campaign Log, record that you are aware of Xzharah's plans.
- Any one investigator may choose to add the Ancient Ankh to his or her deck. It does not count toward that investigator's deck size.
- Each investigator earns experience equal to the Victory X value of each card in the victory display.
- In your Campaign Log, record dreamers in the abyss (X). X is the strength of the abyss when the scenario ended.
- In your Campaign Log, record Brotherhood Agents Who Escaped: and list the names of each unique Cultist enemy that was in play or beneath the scenario reference card when the game ended.